A Netflix series that updates a Judy Blume classic and a slasher homage with a killer clown top our lists of what to watch this week.
And, of course, there’s Josh Hartnett in the gonzo “Fight or Flight.”
Here’s our roundup.
“Forever”: Here’s a tip for anyone wanting to modernize a lit classic: Consult showrunner Mara Brock Akil. She’s done an incredible job of taking the iconic 1975 Judy Blume classic — an eyebrow-raiser that offended some parents by daring to suggest that teens actually have sex — and giving it modern meaning.
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Akil’s sexy-smart eight-episode Netflix series, debuting May 8, turns Blume’s two lovebirds into Black Los Angeles teens from different backgrounds — the rich Justin Edwards (Michael Cooper Jr.) and the making-ends-meet Keisha Clark (Lovie Simone). They used to be childhood pals but went their separate ways and now attend different high schools. They meet up at a 2017 New Year’s party, and sparks fly.
But both have issues and hurdles to overcome. The people-pleasing Justin is dealing with ADHD and isn’t overly invested in school. He lives in a sprawling home with his overly protective but caring mom (Karen Pittman) and his less rigid restaurateur dad (Wood Harris).
Keisha is a straight-A student, a perfectionist and also the object of social media cruelty. She lives with her overworked mom (Xosha Roquemore) in an affordable upstairs apartment building. Her dad, a pro baseball player, is rarely around.
The duo fumble about with dating and even resort to blocking each other on social media over miscommunications before they identify as boyfriend and girlfriend.
What makes Blume such a special writer is how she can deal frankly with such taboo topics as masturbation, menstruation and sex. In this modernized version the focus shifts to social media shaming, parental pressures and more.
“Forever” keeps in step with Blume’s style by not seeming like it comes from an adult perspective. That comes through in the conversations (topics include a hit manga series and popular music). The leads also are painfully real with Cooper Jr. inhabiting the uncertain body of a guy who isn’t too confident about who he is both on and off the basketball courts. As Justin gains more confidence, Cooper Jr. reflects that in his more assured stance and walk. He’s an actor to watch. Simone is especially good at showing how defensive and withdrawn some people become when shouldering the burden of a traumatic experience. The first episode is directed by actor Regina King and it’s exceptional. But so are all other episodes in this teen drama that speaks from the heart, the soul and the minds of its teen characters. Details: 3 stars out of 4; drops May 8 on Netflix.
“Clown in a Cornfield”: If you’re searching for a movie that delivers exactly on the promise of its title, look no further than Eli Craig’s gory hoedown. Based on the novel of the same name, it not only gives you a freaky homicidal clown, but some rather shrewd commentary about our generation gap. It begins with snarky Quinn (Katie Douglas) moving from Philly to a Podunk farm town for her senior year at high school. She’s mad at her doctor dad (Aaron Abrams) for getting stuck in Kettle Springs, Missouri, home of the Baypen Corn Syrup Factory. It was once the lifeblood of the town, but someone torched it. The community is burning mad about that and folks pin the blame on moody Cole (Carson MacCormac) whose dad (Kevin Durand) is rich and is also the town’s mayor. How does that titular clown figure in? Director Craig (the cult-classic “Tucker & Dale vs. Evil”) gives Frendo — Baypen’s nightmare-inducing mascot — more than his due in those cornfields, and when Cole and his chums make killer clown videos since there’s not much to do … well, you probably know what will happen next. On the plus side, all the kills are creative and bloody. “Clown in a Cornfield” never intends to be as funny and irreverent as “Tucker & Dale vs. Evil” was, nor should it. This is a cheeky slasher homage and genre fans will lap it up. Details: 3 stars; in theaters May 9.
“A Normal Family”: Korean director and screenwriter Hur Jin-ho bookends his dysfunctional family drama around two gut-punching events. The first is a road-rage encounter that leaves one person dead. The other should be left for the viewer to encounter. That road-rage incident leads sinfully wealthy defense attorney Jae-Wan (Sul Kyung-gu) to represent a defendant’s who’s obviously guilty — a hot-headed young guy. Jae-Wan doesn’t think twice about taking on his new client, a fact that irks his jealous brother Jae-gyu (Jang Dong-gun) — a seemingly principled doctor who, along with his wife Yeon-kyung (Kim Hee-ae), care for the brothers’ mother. The brothers and their wives – including Jae-wan’s younger wife (Claudia Kim) meet for an awkward dinner that devolves into snipes. But when their respective high-school-age children — bullied son Si-ho (Kim Jung-chul) and the book-smart daughter Hye-yoon (Hong Ye-ji) – get embroiled into a case that could have repercussions for all involved, ethics and principles crash into parental denials and coverups. Based on author Herman Koch’s “The Dinner,” Hur’s multi-layered film considers the cracks in the foundation of both families and how easily we can compromise our supposed ethics when it comes to our families make this a piercing and powerful film that doesn’t let any of its characters off the hook. It’s playing in a very limited release, but is worth a long drive to see. Details: 3½ stars; opens May 9 at the Roxie, San Francisco.
“Odd Fish”: On the surface, Icelandic director/screenwriter Snævar Sölvi Sölvason’s gentle and sweet yet realistic character drama seems ever so slight. Don’t be fooled. Its tale of a decades-long friendship that gets put to the test when one of the friends transitions might be what we need right now. It does not chastise nor shame any of its characters as each takes steps to better understand where Birna, the main chef at a restaurant for tourists, is coming from and how she has created a better life for herself after the death of her father. Hjalti (Björn Jörundur Friðbjörnsson), her best friend, coworker and owner of the restaurant and the museum at the fishing harbor, doesn’t know how to respond, neither to Brina (Arna Magnea Danks) nor to his bullied gay son who now lives with his mom in Reykjavik. Sölvason suggests that sometimes we need to throw out these old perceptions and not only embrace the present but better understand the ones we hold dear. It might not seem like a bold statement for some, but in these times it is. Details: 3 stars; opens May 9 at the Orinda Theater.
Contact Randy Myers at [email protected].